In the Making
by marauders.padfootsb
Summary: They cling to the idea that they have different last names: Weasley and Potter. Maybe if they run away together, no one will know. Disclaimer. Rated: T. Please read!
1. Christmas at the Burrow

They cling to the idea that they have different last names: Weasley and Potter. Maybe if they run away together, no one will know (or care). Of course, they might see the way that their eyes glisten with emotion like _their_ Grandma Molly. Or how they both have perfect noses that Aunt Ginny says came from _their _great uncle. So okay, they do look a bit alike in a certain lighting, and yes, his mum and her dad are siblings, and yes, they're cousins.

.oOo.

_ What an awful word_, Dominique says to herself as she gets ready for Christmas Day with the entire Weasley-Potter family. Of course, Scorpius with be there with Rose. Lysander with be there with his family, attached to Lily Luna's hip. Neville and Hannah will bring Frank and Alice, their kids. It's pretty much the same thing every year. A pickup game of Quidditch, maybe a game of soccer that will get way too rowdy, and then Grandpa Arthur will call everyone in the Burrow for the wonderful meal their grandma has made. After dinner and presents, everyone will go to the Potter's at 12 Grimmauld Place, and eventually the adults will leave, letting the kids spend the night.

Like every family get together, Dominique spends way too much time deciding what to wear. This time, though, she chooses a dress; it's white with long sleeves, and looks very elegant with her brown riding boots. That, and the scoop neck is a bit low.

"That's cute, Dom," Victoire, tells her when she finally leaves the bathroom she's been hoarded in. Of course, her sister is wearing jeans and the modest sweater she bought at some mall the other day. Vic is perfect; always has been, always will be, Dominique reckons.

"Merci beaucoup, Vic."

They descend down the stairs together, dragging a sleeping Louis along with them. Their parents are waiting on them, and it looks like they have been for a while by the way her mother is tapping her heel and speaking in rapid French.

"Domi, what are you wearing? Oh, never mind! Leet's go!" And then a hand is being thrown at Dominqiue; she finds herself outside the Burrow very quickly.

Two redheaded - one straight, one curly - girls approach her. The taller one, Lily Luna, has emerald eyes, and to Dominique's delight, is wearing a more provocative outfit than her own. Rose is blue eyed, like Uncle Ron, and is practically wearing a burka. She leaves, though (to find Scorpius Malfoy, no doubt), after saying hello quickly.

"They've had a spat," Lily informs her in a whisper, like it's a large secret, "but that only means they're snogging somewhere as we speak."

Dominique giggles, happy for the first time all day. "You're right."

"Aren't I always?" the younger girl says and winks.

Lily tells Dominique some story about Teddy, but Dominique's not listening. She's taking in the scene around her: the uncles and aunts all talking; Molly, Roxanne, and Hugo swinging on the front porch; Lysander, Lorcan, and Lucy talking; Fred, Louis, and Albus pointing and waving wildly; and of course, the fact that Rose, Scorpius, Teddy, and Victoire are all currently missing.

But the only person she really wants to see, Dominique can't find.

"Lily, I'm going to go inside for a moment."

"'Kay. I'm going to find and embarrass Rose."

He's exactly where she thought she'd find him: sitting by the fire. Sometimes he's not all that predictable, but most of the time he never ceases to surprise her. His hair is, of course, sticking up all over; although it's brown, and the way it's messed up is more shaggy than unruly. He's the only Potter child to have received his mother's brown eyes, and for some reason doesn't like them. He looks gorgeous in his jeans and plaid button down, Dominique can't help but notice, as his face lights up from the flames.

"Don't fall in," she tells him, and he chuckles, patting next to him for her to sit down. Grandma Molly's Christmas tunes are playing from her little old radio, and they sound almost comforting.

"You look great," he says, and she thanks him politely.

_There's nothing unordinary about this, right here, right now,_ Dominique thinks to herself, pushing out mental images of him half naked. _Two cousins talking by the fire. _But there's lingering touches and longing glances there, too, and it reels the blonde back into reality. They aren't ordinary at all.

His deep voice snaps her back as he asks, "Who are you trying to impress, Dom?" His eyes light up, and he looks at her, smiling. It warms her whole body up more than the fire could dream of.

"Ly."

"Lils might just kill you," he informs you, and she grins wickedly.

"This family needs a scandal. Haven't had one since the fight between Uncle Ron and Mr. Malfoy."

"A scandal, huh?" He leans towards her; his breath makes her hair stand on end. She can't focus with him so close.

"Y-yeah."

And he kisses her, soft and slowly, as if to remind her that _they _are a scandal in the making. For a moment, he's not her cousin.

He's James Sirius Potter, and Dominique Fabienne Weasley might be falling in love with the Chaser.

But he stops kissing her, and she sees that glint in his eye and remembers that they're _cousins_. She sighs, knowing he won't try anything for the rest of Christmas at the Burrow; he knows her better than that.

"Want to go see if the family is up for Quidditch?" James asks. She nods in reply.

So they do, and of course the family immediately heads out to their makeshift pitch. Teams are chosen; positions are assigned.

Like every year, the team with Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny, and James Sirius wins.

They have dinner, and the ham is good, but no one was expecting less than perfect in the food department. Molly talks of how the rest of the cousins need to behave more at school, while Lily won't shut up about her last boyfriend and how he cheated on her, but she couldn't've cared less because he was stupid anyways. Dominique just sits and listens, laughing when one of them says something hilarious - and with this group, it's often. She loves her family and wouldn't trade them for the world.

Unless it meant her and James weren't cousins anymore, of course.


	2. Christmas at Grimmauld Place

They have entirely different senses of humor. He likes to poke and prod - good, harmless fun. She has a dry, sarcastic way about her, and it makes him love her even more. Sure, it causes a lot of arguments, since he doesn't always pick up on her tone of voice, but who cares? It makes her _her_, and nothing, to him, is as beautiful as she is. Her laugh is hypnotizing; he can barely think when her eyes light up, and her lips turn upward, and the most brilliant noise escapes.

.oOo.

"James, who all is staying in your room?" his mum, Ginny, yells from the kitchen.

"The girls!" he yells back, sarcastically. He must be picking up on Dom.

"Whatever. I'll have your dad wave some extra beds in there!"

He's got a hidden stock of firewhiskey under the floorboards, and he's sure Albus will tell in the morning, but that doesn't matter. There's ten of them - Albus, Teddy, Lysander, Lorcan, Scorpius, Hugo, Fred, Louis, Frank, and himself - so the five bottles he's obtained over the years will surely hold up. The girls might come to join them, and Lily will be the head of the pack, surely. As her brother, he supposes he should care more, but he just doesn't tonight.

The family soon arrives, but for the first time the parents say they're going to the Leaky Cauldron and staying there - even Harry and Ginny. James is overjoyed; Albus and Rose are already fretting, but Alice Longbottom and Scorpius quickly shut them up.

"So… What should we do?" Roxanne asks. She's one of the more wild cousins, James has concluded; her pajamas consist of a tank top and skimpy shorts. Another look around the living room (that still looks like it did before the Battle of Hogwarts even happened), and he sees that _all _the girls are dressed in something of that nature.

"Strip truth or dare," Victoire suggests, and before anyone - namely Lucy - has any time to object, the rest of the cousins are sitting in a circle, completely ready.

"Dominique, ask first," James says once everyone has quieted down. They look at each other a little too long, but James ignores it so as not to get caught.

"Lily, truth or dare?"

"Truth," the green-eyed girl says suggestively.

"Have you… drunk?"

You can hear a groan from the crowd; who cares whether infamous Lily Luna has drunk before? What a boring question. But Lily goes under the floorboard, to James's surprise, and pulls out a bottle. She then takes a large swig.

"Yes."

Everyone laughs, except Albus, who has his hands in his face, appalled.

The game goes on, and sooner than later Lily, Dominique, Victoire, and Roxanne are in their bra and panties; Teddy, James, and Hugo are without shirts; Rose, Albus, Molly, and Lucy are still clothed. The other people at 12 Grimmauld place have left to go downstairs, much to the rest's dismay.

Rose says, "Gosh, I'm tired."

"Me, too," Albus yawns out, and with that, they're both gone as well.

The game dwindles into nothingness, and the girls and boys go into their respective rooms. Everyone's asleep, but James isn't.

She's standing in the kitchen, wearing his Quidditch tee - Potter in gold on the back - with whipped cream running down her face; the can is in her hand. She's got her blue eyes closed, and her blonde hair is in a… dogear? cathead? fishfin? braid that hits her mid back.

"_All I want for Christmas is you-ou, baby!" _she sings loudly, as though she's the only one in the little townhouse.

"I'm flattered, really." He steps out and grins at her shocked expression.

"I thought I was alone, James."

James shrugs. "Couldn't sleep."

"Me either."

There's a comfortable silence for a few moments, until Dominique breaks it.

"Molly asked why I was wearing your shirt and nothing else."

"And you said?"

"I forgot one, and this one was the first one on your mum's clean laundry stack."

"Nice save," James tell her, but she sighs.

"I'm not sure how much longer I can keep saving our arses." She yawns and sighs again.

James goes and engulfs her in a hug, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Her knees give way; he doesn't let her fall. She's asleep, it seems, so he picks her up and carries her to the sectional couch, throwing a Holyhead Harpies blanket over her figure. He stays there, stoking her hand, forgetting that if anyone upstairs saw, they'd be shellshocked. Or disgusted, but it's best not to think about that.

Finally, James grows tired and goes upstairs softly, because he can't let anyone catch him.


	3. September 1st

She's always loved those Disney fairy tale stories. Growing up, she just wanted her Prince Charming. She's found him, but not really. He can't be her Prince Charming, or people would whisper and stare. _They're cousins!_ they'd say. Once again, she thinks of just how much she hates that tiny implication.

.oOo.

"All aboard!"

The Hogwarts Express squeals, and all the children say goodbye to their mums and dad, ready for Christmas break to be over. It's crazy getting a compartment, but the Weasley-Potters (and friends) who aren't prefects make sure to save a few compartments for everyone. Normally she sits with Lily and Roxanne, her two cousins who love being loud and obnoxious about as much as her, but she promised him she'd meet him in the very last compartment.

_"I'll make sure no one knows we're there,"_ he told her, and she chose to believe him.

So when she walks back there, not seeing anyone in the compartment, she smiles. He's in there, she knows. And he is, a hellion grin on his face.

"How'd you do that?" Dominique asks, sitting down next to him.

"Simple Marauder charm. Top secret, ma'am." James winks at her, and it melts her heart.

She sits down next to him, and he engulfs her in a hug. They sit like that awhile - not talking, just being. Sure, they have classes they'll need to focus on, but it's Rose and Albus's job to stress, not theirs. They've both always been brilliant, and he likes pranking too much, and she likes kissing boys too much, so why be bothered? She just really needs him right now, and she decides to tell him so.

"Nah, you don't. We'll get back to our lives before; me skipping class, you being perfect."

"Perfect was Vic's thing, remember?"

"According to Teddy."

"According to everyone," Dominique quips back, and all James Sirius does is laugh.

"Yeah, her hair was way blonder than yours anyway," he says. Dominique hits him.

"Shut up."

Silence is bliss, Dominique thinks, and wonders if her 'raise hell' attitude was the right way to go. She _is _the only Weasley to ever be a Slytherin, so she figures she was born to rebel. Even if she doesn't like it.

She's pretty sure she loves James, though, and that is rebellion in itself.

The train slows down, and Dominique leaves the compartment alone; James follows under the Cloak.

"Merlin, where were you?" Molly shrieks when she sees her, and Dominique giggles. Apparently Rose searched the entire train; not a blonde hair on Dominique's head was spotted. _Good,_ she thinks.

She doesn't say that, though. "I'm so sorry! I kind of travelled through different compartments."

Molly nods. "Lily claims she hasn't seen James, and neither has Lucy, Roxanne, Louis, Fred, or Albus. I checked. Lorcan said he was probably off pranking with Grayson Wood, though, so…."

"Yes, they love their pranks."

"Let's just hope this one doesn't involve turning anyone's hair orange. I thought Victoire was going to explode last year."

Dominique rolled her eyes at the memory of her perfect sister shrieking, running up and down the Great Hall. Of course, instead of being laughed at, everyone sympathized with her. Except the Slytherins, of course, herself among them.

Coming the opposite way she arrived, James is walking towards the pair.

"Oh good," Molly mutters, breathing a sigh of relief, "you're here, too. Lucy was scared we'd have another Uncle-Ron-and-Uncle-Harry-in-Second-Year kind of story."

James chuckles deeply and shakes his head. "Right here. Got a big surprise for you all." He winks.

Molly frowns at Dominique's amused expression. "I don't know what Albus is going to think about that, but oh well."

"Since when do I care about Alby?" James replies.

"You don't," Dominique interjects.

"Correct."

"But you actually do."

"Also correct, Dom."

Molly sighs, again, and leaves them to walk off the train alone. They climb in a carriage - that is, conveniently - empty. Making the trip in silence, they get out, and Hogwarts takes Dominique's breath away like always. She has to sit with the Slytherins at dinner, but she watches James and his friends' delight as Uncle George's fireworks light up 'Hope everyone had a magical Christmas!' in the Dining Hall.

Several people mutter how the Potter-Weasleys are mental, but most talk about how brilliant they are. Or how hot James is, which makes her laugh on the outside but fume on the inside. She doesn't know how long she can go with sneaking around in broom closets and taking midnight trips to the kitchens. But Dominique doesn't really have another option, if she wants James.

"Hello? Are you there?" Scorpius Malfoy, a carbon copy of his father, is sitting in front of her.

"Oh, yeah," Dominique replies, taking a sip of pumpkin juice. She chats with the younger boy for awhile, and continues to do so as they make their way to the Slytherin Common Room. She hangs out with Scorpius when she can't be with her cousins - who are all Slytherins, save for one or two who are Hufflepuffs.

"Goodnight, Dom. Walk with me to breakfast?"

"Sounds good."

And then Dominique walks into her Dorm, the other girls already fast asleep. She's friends with them, yes, but she'd rather hang out with her family most of the time. She showers and changes, afterwards climbing into the bed - which is warm in contrast to the Common Room, which is underneath the Black Lake.

Thoughts of Quidditch and school and James and Potions and homework and James rush through her head before she falls asleep


End file.
